NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – The Westminster College softball team, under the tutelage of twenty-fourth year head coach
Jan Reddinger, returns 8 players from a team that won 19 games and placed third in the PAC tournament last season.
"Two years ago we graduated a big group of players, so last year was a very young team and it was unknown how we would finish, I think we're entering this year feeling the same." Reddinger said, "We have some returning players that I think will provide good leadership and I think the mixture with the underclassmen is going to be very exciting."
In 2019, the Titans finished with an overall record of 19-18 and a 9-7 record in the PAC. Westminster finished third at the PAC tournament, Westminster has qualified for the PAC Tournament 13 times (four-straight) in the 16 years it has been eligible.
Leading the returners is sophomore
Madison Brown (Lisbon, OH / East Liverpool), who captured All-PAC First Team recognition last year. Brown led the conference with 100 strikeouts, while her 2.66 earned run average (ERA) stood third. Brown was third in the PAC in opposing batting average (.272), while tying third with a team-high 11 wins. Brown also was a factor at the plate, finishing second on the team with a .363 batting average and led the team with 22 RBIs on the season. Brown also had the longest hitting streak on the team (10 games).
Also returning for Westminster is 2019 All-PAC Second Team junior
Haley Bedalota (Alaquippa, PA / Hopewell). Bedalota led the Titans with a .396 batting average, a .496 on-base percentage, and a .595 slugging percentage. Bedalota was eighth in the PAC in batting average and finished third in both on-base and slugging percentage. She finished tied for fourth in the conference with a team-high 33 runs scored. Bedalota averaged 0.228 triples per contest, leading all NCAA Division III counterparts. Her PAC-best eight triples (which tied for third in Division III) was one triple away from tying a school record. Bedalota added a team-high two home runs on the season and a team-best eight stolen bases. She also had the most multiple-hit games with 13 and the longest reached-base streak (18 games) on the team.
Rounding out the all-conference returners is All-PAC Second Team senior utility player
Lauren McNany (Emlenton, PA / Allegheny-Clarion Valley). McNany finished 2019 with a .295 batting average, good for fourth on the team. McNany tied for the most doubles on the team with eight and was second on the team with a .411 on-base percentage. She was fourth on the team in RBIs (13).
Rounding out the returning players is senior
Victoria Pezzuolo (New Castle, PA / Mohawk), juniors Bailey Griffith (McDonald, PA / Fort Cherry), Brianna Tetirick (New Concord, OH / John Glenn),
Alexis Brinza (McKees Rocks, PA / Our Lady of the Sacred Heart),
Ashley Chorney (Indian Trail, NC / Porter Ridge) and Sophomores
Jasmine Woodings (Verona, PA / Penn Hills),
Alexandra Pfab (Cranberry Twp, PA / Seneca Valley),
Jaira Cowie (Mt. Lebanon, PA / Mt. Lebanon), and
Krystyna Burdelski (Pittsburgh, PA / Fox Chapel).
The Titans finished second in this year's PAC Coaches' poll, earning three first-place votes and 55 points. Brown, Bedalota, Brinza, McNany and Pezzuolo were all named to the PAC Player's to Watch list.
This year's PAC Softball Championship Tournament will be held Friday-Saturday, May 1-2. The league's four-team, double-elimination championship tournament will be hosted by the top seed coming out of the regular season.
The winner of this year's championship tournament title will secure the league's automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Division III Softball Championship, with teams and regional site selections announced on Monday, May 4.
Regional round play is scheduled for Thursday-Sunday, May 7-10. Four teams will compete at 14 regional sites and three teams will compete at two regional sites in a double-elimination tournament. The 16 teams advancing from the regional round will compete in a two-team, best-of-three tournament at eight Super Regional sites, scheduled for Friday-Saturday, May 15-16. The eight teams advancing from the Super Regionals will participate in this year's Division III Championship finals, slated for Thursday-Tuesday, May 21-26 at Suddenlink Field in Tyler, Texas. The final two teams will compete in a best-of-three series to determine this year's national champion.
*The PAC contributed to this release
